BENGALURU: A 63-year-old man has filed a criminal complaint against the management of a private hospital in Seshadripuram, accusing it of inflating the cost of treatment provided to his son, who died of Covid-19.
Complainant Narayanaswamy Poola, a resident of Kothanur and retired employee of a private company, said in his complaint that the hospital charged him Rs 15.3 lakh for treating his son, Yeshwanth Poola, for nearly a month.
According to Poola, his son Yeshwanth was admitted on May 8 this year after he tested positive for Covid-19 and was later discharged on June 6. However, Yeshwanth died on June 17.
“While discharging my son, the hospital raised a bill for Rs 15,39,999 and I paid it,” Poola’s complaint read. “The bill though is high when compared to the prices fixed by the government for treating Covid-19 patients in hospitals. As per government rate calculations, the bill should have been Rs 4,35,000. However, the hospital management overcharged by raising the bill to Rs 15,39,999. Please initiate legal action against the hospital authorities concerned.”
Based on Poola’s complaint, police have registered a case against the accused under the National Disaster Management Act (NDMA) 2005 and section 420 of Indian Penal Code (cheating and dishonestly inducing delivery of property).
“Police are collecting the required bill documents and are investigating the case,” sources said.
